


I Choose You

by galactic_magic



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Slow Burn, Swearing, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27466795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galactic_magic/pseuds/galactic_magic
Summary: Your parents and the Ootoris set up an arranged marriage between you and Kyoya for business reasons.Gender neutral pronouns used for reader.
Relationships: Ootori Kyouya/Reader
Kudos: 89





	I Choose You

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic going back and forth between the present and flashbacks to the beginning of the relationships. Present day stuff is normal text and flashbacks are in italics.

Your reflection in the mirror haunts you. It hurts. You can’t pretend it’s all a nightmare anymore, this is your reality. The reality you didn’t choose.

But maybe you would if the circumstances were different.

Servants, tailors, and seamstresses are fluttering all around you, making adjustments to your wedding ensemble. It looks perfect, _more_ than perfect. It’s everything you ever wanted, and it looks amazing on you. You continue to stare at yourself in the mirror, knowing how proud your parents would be when you walked to the front of the wedding ceremony. They would be happy, even if you weren’t.

Your parents business has been failing for months now, and they needed to fix it fast. The Ootori family agreed to help if you married their youngest son as a symbol of the partnership. Of course your parents wouldn’t threaten you if you didn’t do it, but you knew how much they needed it. You’ve always known there was a chance you’d end up in an arranged marriage anyway, even if you’ve also always dreamed of love. You were willing to give up a love marriage in order to help them, and after all, you could certainly do _worse_ than Kyoya. You knew he’d treat you well and provide for you, and quite frankly you couldn’t imagine him caring enough to hurt you or bother you.

_“Thank you so much again for making this deal with us,” your father nodded._

_“Of course. Your company has quite a few valuable prospects,” Mr. Ootori smiles._

_You gazed at Kyoya across the room, who’s barely made any eye contact with you the entire time. You could tell he wasn’t thrilled about this either, but there was something else, something more than disinterest. Was it anger? Determination?_

_“Shall we leave them alone for a bit? They should get to know each other better if they’re going through with this, don’t you think?” your mother suggested, gesturing to you._

_“Certainly,” Mr. Ootori sat up and left the room, your parents following soon after and shutting the door._

_“So…” you started, trailing off. What was there even to say?_

_Kyoya shot up from his chair and began pacing around the room, settling for a few moments by the window but soon going right back to pacing. He chewed his pen a bit, occasionally scribbling things down on his notepad._

_“Are you okay?” you asked._

_He continued to ignore you, deep in thought._

_“Look, I get that you don’t like me, but can we at least talk? I’m going to have to live with your ass for the rest of my life you know,”_

_“It’s not that I don’t like you,” his eyes finally met yours, almost so much it was frightening. “You’re quite attractive actually and I don’t see any reason we wouldn’t get along. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this was forced on us. We have every right to be angry,”_

_You were stunned that the first thing he said to you was so direct._

_“I mean, I guess so,”_

_“My father doesn’t know how much power I truly have over his company. We could take it from him and make our lives whatever we want. We could continue to work together or we could separate if that’s what you desire. They’ll be sorry for forcing their will on their children,”_

_“What about my parents?”_

_“What about them?”_

_“They’ll go bankrupt without this deal. They’ll lose everything,”_

_“Their deal is with the company, not my father. Once I become the head I’ll make sure they get what they need,”_

_Damn, he really had all this planned out._

_“How long will we be married before you do all this?”_

_“It will take at least a year, possibly two. Too quick and we’ll raise suspicion, too slow and we’ll miss our chance,”_

_You nod. It made sense, but you couldn’t help but feel cheated. He didn’t care about you in the slightest, he was simply using this unfortunate marriage situation for his own gain and revenge. What were you supposed to do for the short time you were married? Sit around his mansion and wait?_

_You huff, “Look, I’m glad you’re getting some good out of this, but don’t you think we should at least try to be friends? I’m not just going to sit here and be a tool for your masterplan. Whether you like it or not, we’re going to be partners for a while and I’d rather not spend it being bored,”_

_Kyoya blinked. Clearly he didn’t calculate_ any _sort of relationship into his plan, and the fact you weren’t blindly going along with it confused him._

_You roll your eyes, “Can’t we at least go out to dinner a few times? You know, talk a little bit?”_

_“That sounds dangerously close to a date,”_

_“So what if it is? You said yourself you think I’m attractive and you think we’d get along,”_

_“I suppose I did,” he smiled._

You decide to turn around, hoping not seeing yourself for a few minutes will distract you.

You sincerely hope everything will work out, hope that everything will turn out fine. You trust Kyoya, he’ll do anything he can to keep his word. Your parents will be taken care of. You will be taken care of. His excuse of a father will be out of the picture.

What will you even do when it’s all said and done? Go off on your own? Get more education? Travel? Find love with someone else?

The future’s never been more terrifying.

At least you won’t be miserable. You can tell Kyoya’s made an effort to care about you throughout your engagement, he won’t be an awful husband for the year or so you’ll be married.

But does he really care about you? Or he just acting like it because you asked him to?

_Kyoya picked you up in his limousine for your first “date,” taking you to a fancy restaurant downtown. Surprisingly he was the one to initiate conversations during the whole thing, asking you about your life, your hobbies, your interests. You found you actually have a lot in common, and you end up talking for hours, literally until the restaurant closes and kicks you out._

_“I would take you somewhere else, but I’m afraid it’s getting too late,” he said, opening the door of the limo for you to get in._

_You frowned. You were actually having a really good time._

_“Tomorrow?”_

_“Hmm?” he raised a brow._

_“We could hang out again tomorrow?”_

_“Sure,”_

_You opened your eyes, awoken from some noise outside. You looked around, assuming it was just some branches brushing against the side of the house. You rolled over, trying to get back to sleep._

_The banging starts up again, and this time when you sat up you could almost swear you saw a hand through your window._

_You stood up, trudging over and opening it._

_“Kyoya? What the fuck are you doing?!”_

_“It’s tomorrow,” he smirked. You gaze at the clock. He’s right, it’s nearly 1 AM._

_“I never pegged you for the sneaking out type,”_

_“Well, I do most of my best thinking at night, so I like to sit on the roof or go for a walk once everyone’s asleep,” he took a look at you in your pajamas. “Would you like to accompany me?”_

_“Give me a sec,” you shut the curtains and slipped on some clothes and freshened up a bit. You returned and started climbing out the window, Kyoya helping you get down to the ground._

_“Where would you like to go?” he asked._

_“This was_ your _idea,”_

_“I suppose so,”_

_He ended up leading you to a small park his family owned, with a little pond and some benches and trees. You sat down and looked around, listening to the distant sounds of the night._

_“I misjudged you, Kyoya,”_

_“You thought I was an asshole, didn’t you?”_

_You laughed, “Yeah, just a bit,”_

_“I certainly can be, I won’t claim otherwise,” he sat down next to you. “But I’m not opposed to expanding my horizons. You offered a valid point. A friendship and partnership may very well be in our best interests,”_

_“Ugh,” you groaned. “There you go again with your best interests shit,”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“You’re telling me that you’re only trying to be friends with me because it’s in your_ best interest? _”_

_“Is that…not how friendships work?” he squinted. “I am interested in being friends with you. I am interested in being your partner. Why does that upset you?”_

_“Because you’re talking about me like my love and respect is something for you to take or gain,”_

_“I apologize,” he hummed. “I’m afraid I don’t have much experience in the type of relationship you want,”_

_“You’ve never had a real friend? You’ve never cared about anyone for who they were more than what they could give you?”_

_“No, I have. Just not many,”_

_You almost felt…bad for him. He was trying, at least._

_“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t be so harsh,” you looked at him. “I know we can make this work. We just need to be patient with each other, that’s all,”_

_“Alright,” he agreed._

_You continued your conversation from earlier, and things felt good again. You really do get along well, it’s a shame you weren’t actually in love._

You check your phone, seeing a text from Kyoya sent just a few minutes ago. You open it, and he’s asking where you are because he wants to talk to you. You tell him no, not today, but he insists.

You stop responding, figuring no matter what you say he’ll come anyway. You didn’t tell him where you were, but a quick questioning of a few servants and someone would tell him.

You don’t particularly want to see him right now, not like this. This is your time to feel bad about yourself and lose your mind worrying about the future, and he’s not going to help that.

You don’t hate him, quite the opposite, but he’s only a reminder of what you have but could never be.

_You and Kyoya have gone on several more outings over the past few months, and it’s getting closer and closer to the wedding. He’s taken you to all his family’s properties, resorts, parks, and more. You’ve gone to almost every restaurant in town (yes, even commoner ones, you both found it entertaining), and you’ve spent many nights walking around the city. You’ve spent days indoors playing board and card games and watching movies. You genuinely enjoyed spending most of your free time with him._

_But tonight’s a bit different._

_Tonight you won’t be alone, on your own terms. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner, and of course both your families were going overboard. Barely any of it was going to be spent actually rehearsing for the wedding. There’s going to be dancing, food and drinks, and basically a party all night long._

_Everyone’s going to be watching you, everyone’s eyes are going to be on you._

_You met up with Kyoya after getting ready so you could walk in together. You put on your most formal outfits, besides the ones for the wedding a few days from now._

_When he saw you, he averted his gaze immediately as if he’d just caught you naked._

_“You look good,” he coughed._

_“So do you,” you laughed._

_He offered you his arm and you took it, walking down the hallway into the ballroom._

_You had to do an awful lot of greeting before doing anything else. Everyone wants to talk to you and congratulate you, even people you swear you’ve never met in your life. There’s a mix of family, friends, and other business partners. Some people were probably there simply because they could be due to their status, and had no interest in the celebration whatsoever._

_When you’re finally free of conversation, you raced to the table to grab some refreshments. They prepared the best food possible, including some of your favorites._

_Kyoya found you again just as you were finishing, offering his arm to you once again._

_“May I have this dance?”_

_You almost choked, “You dance?”_

_“Of course I do. So is my fiancé going to refuse me or not?”_

_You smiled and shook your head, giggling a bit as he drags you to the floor._

_No one was doing anything particularly complicated, just waltzes, and thank goodness that was the case. You could barely think straight from everything going on._

_Surprisingly Kyoya wasn’t a stiff dancer, his movements were consistent but flowed perfectly with the music. He held you closer than you thought he would, but gently._

_You felt your body heat up and chills in your stomach and down your spine. How are those two things even possible to happen at the same time?_

_Well, shit. You weren’t_ actually _falling for him were you?_

 _You thought these past few months would be tedious, but they’ve actually been some of the best of your life. Kyoya’s become your best friend, and gosh you_ want _to spend the rest of your life with him. You understand each other. You both want to break away from your controlling families and finally find your own happiness. You can spend hours talking about everything and nothing. You can make each other laugh like no one else ever has._

_Maybe this arranged marriage could become a love marriage. Just maybe._

_But no. Kyoya made his intentions very clear. You doubt he’s developed the same feelings for you. He may see you as a valued friend, but he’ll fell nothing when you inevitably break off your relationship in a couple years._

_Kyoya must’ve noticed you zoning out in thought, because he stops dancing and brings his hands to your shoulders._

_“Are you alright? Do you need some air?”_

_You nodded, and he leads you out onto the balcony outside the ballroom, keeping a hand on your back._

_You take a deep breath, desperately trying to compose yourself after your realization. Should you tell him? No, absolutely not. Bad idea._

_Why did this have to happen? Now you were even more miserable. Were you really so weak that you had to catch feelings?_

_“It’s going to be fine, you know,” he assured you. “I know it seems overwhelming, but by the end of the week we’ll be on our own and they can’t constantly be on our backs anymore,”_

_“Yeah,” you sighed, your breath stopping in your throat. “Do you think anyone will notice if I leave? I’m exhausted,”_

_“They probably will, unfortunately,” he looked out at the view. “But we can stay out here until they notice,”_

_“Thanks,” you grumbled. Your head was throbbing._

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

_You managed to survive the rest of the night, barely._

_You tried to get some rest, you have a fitting tomorrow, and then all you have to do is wait for the big day._

You’ve been standing here for at least an hour, and you’re starting to get irritated. How long does it take to fit something? It looks fine.

You turn around again and stop breathing for a moment when you see Kyoya in the doorway. His hair is ruffled and he looks like he didn’t sleep at all, but there’s a smile on his face.

“I’d like to speak to my fiancé please,” he says.

You look away.

“Absolutely not! Don’t you know you’re not supposed to see each other’s outfits before the big day?” one of the tailors pipes up.

“Well, seeing as I already saw it, I don’t think it matters,” he motions for them to leave. “You’re dismissed,”

He waits until they’re gone before he approaches you, but by that time you’ve fallen down and started crying. You’re shaking on the edge of the platform you were standing on, your hands covering your face.

“You’ve been avoiding me all morning. What’s wrong?” he asks.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” you sniffle. “For everyone else this is the best time of their life. But it’s not for me,”

Kyoya crouches down in front of you.

He doesn’t cut in, so you keep going, “Look at me. I look _great_ , I look just like how I wanted to as a kid, but it’s all wrong. Everything’s wrong. I thought I was okay with this, but I’m not. I hate this. I don’t hate you, but I hate this,”

You keep sobbing, trying to pretend he’s not there watching you. It’s not too hard actually, since you can barely see through the tears.

“Well, I suppose this might be the worst time to tell you what I was planning to tell you,” he tries not to laugh as not to be insensitive, but it comes out anyway.

“W-What?” you rub your eyes, seeing him a little clearer.

“I know this won’t fix anything, but I want you to know I _do_ genuinely care about you. It was never part of the original agreement or plan, but I’ve come to feel more for you than I’ve felt for anyone. I just…I want you to know that. You’re not a tool to me anymore,” he takes a deep breath, “I love you,”

You stop crying for a moment, too shocked for the tears to keep flowing. Did he really just say that?

“I understand that you probably don’t feel the same, which is alright. I will still honor our original plan, get you everything you wanted, and allow you to leave whenever you please. But if you’ll have me as your husband, _a real husband_ , you’re welcome to stay,”

The sobs break out again, barely able to get out the words, “I love you too,”

“You do? Really?” his eyes light up.

You nod vigorously, beaming through the tears, “Yes,”

“But you just said you hated this? That you were miserable?”

“Only because I thought you didn’t feel the same,”

“Oh,” he chuckles. “Well then,” he takes your hand and places his other on your cheek, looking into your eyes. “Will you marry me? Please?”

You laugh, “I guess,”

He smiles and pulls your face to his, kissing you softly. You take the initiative to deepen it, slithering your fingers into his tousled hair. He’s the last to pull away, and immediately pulls you back for more, even when you can barely breathe.

You can feel him smiling against your lips, his thumbs wiping all your tears away.

You thought you’d never know what it was like to be truly loved.

But now you do.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this fic idea bouncing around in my head ever since I finished OHSHC a while ago, and I finally decided to write it. This is my first time writing for this fandom but I feel like it turned out alright. Hope you enjoyed!


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